﻿NOTES 
  AND 
  QUERIES. 
  145 
  

  

  Wildfowl 
  on 
  the 
  Hampshire 
  Avon 
  during 
  Winter 
  of 
  1903-04.— 
  The 
  

   year 
  1908 
  will 
  be 
  long 
  remembered 
  for 
  the 
  continued 
  rains, 
  and, 
  in 
  this 
  

   neighbourhood, 
  consequent 
  floods 
  resulting 
  therefrom. 
  Much 
  the 
  

   greater 
  part 
  of 
  past 
  year, 
  and 
  far 
  into 
  1904, 
  the 
  low-lying 
  lands 
  near 
  

   the 
  Avon 
  were 
  under 
  water, 
  so 
  that 
  a 
  very 
  small 
  proportion 
  of 
  grass 
  

   was 
  obtainable 
  for 
  hay, 
  and 
  even 
  the 
  grazing 
  in 
  some 
  parts 
  was 
  almost 
  

   nil, 
  much 
  to 
  the 
  annoyance 
  and 
  loss 
  of 
  the 
  farming 
  community. 
  This 
  

   condition 
  of 
  things 
  continuing 
  through 
  the 
  whole 
  winter, 
  may 
  have 
  had 
  

   the 
  effect 
  of 
  bringing 
  up 
  from 
  the 
  sea 
  more 
  Salmon 
  than 
  usual 
  to 
  the 
  

   formerly 
  prolific 
  gravelly 
  spawning-beds 
  of 
  the 
  Avon, 
  now, 
  alas 
  ! 
  few 
  

   and 
  far 
  betweeu, 
  for 
  the 
  muddy 
  and 
  uncleansed 
  state 
  of 
  the 
  river 
  has 
  

   no 
  doubt 
  helped 
  to 
  decrease 
  the 
  production 
  and 
  existence 
  of 
  both 
  Salmon 
  

   and 
  Trout, 
  if 
  not 
  others 
  of 
  the 
  same 
  class 
  of 
  fish, 
  although 
  a 
  general 
  

   decrease 
  has 
  taken 
  place 
  in 
  many 
  places 
  throughout 
  the 
  country, 
  where 
  

   everything 
  advisable 
  has 
  been 
  done 
  for 
  the 
  well-being 
  of 
  the 
  finny 
  

   tribes. 
  The 
  flooded 
  meadows 
  presented 
  a 
  most 
  attractive 
  site 
  to 
  the 
  

   various 
  wildfowl, 
  who, 
  taking 
  advantage 
  of 
  the 
  state 
  of 
  things, 
  visited 
  

   the 
  locality 
  in 
  unusual 
  numbers; 
  but, 
  from 
  a 
  sportsman's 
  point 
  of 
  

   view, 
  the 
  past 
  winter 
  was 
  anything 
  but 
  "good" 
  as 
  to 
  numbers 
  

   " 
  bagged," 
  as 
  wildfowl 
  on 
  an 
  open 
  meadow 
  are 
  very 
  different 
  to 
  be 
  

   approached 
  than 
  where 
  dense 
  osier 
  and 
  artificial 
  barriers 
  screen 
  the 
  

   gunner. 
  I 
  have 
  before 
  noticed 
  that 
  when 
  the 
  conditions 
  are 
  similar 
  

   with 
  regard 
  to 
  flood, 
  there 
  are 
  usually 
  a 
  large 
  number 
  of 
  Teal, 
  and 
  the 
  

   past 
  winter 
  has 
  not 
  been 
  an 
  exception, 
  a 
  flock 
  of 
  some 
  three 
  hundred 
  or 
  

   four 
  hundred 
  birds 
  having 
  been 
  frequently 
  seen, 
  but, 
  as 
  far 
  as 
  I 
  could 
  

   learn, 
  comparatively 
  few 
  killed. 
  Wild 
  Ducks 
  were 
  very 
  common. 
  

   Wigeon 
  were 
  not 
  so 
  abundant 
  as 
  they 
  are 
  some 
  seasons, 
  but 
  large 
  num- 
  

   bers 
  were 
  heard 
  at 
  night 
  passing 
  to 
  and 
  fro 
  ; 
  whilst 
  Tufted 
  Duck, 
  

   Pochard, 
  Golden-eye, 
  Shoveler, 
  and 
  Pintail 
  — 
  mostly 
  immature 
  birds 
  — 
  

   were 
  not 
  particularly 
  scarce, 
  and 
  I 
  knew 
  of 
  at 
  least 
  three 
  Gadwall 
  

   having 
  been 
  killed. 
  Upon 
  one 
  estate 
  bordering 
  the 
  river 
  only 
  one 
  

   day's 
  -shooting 
  was 
  obtainable, 
  and 
  that 
  with 
  difficulty, 
  throughout 
  the 
  

   season, 
  but 
  three 
  or 
  four 
  guns 
  accounted 
  for 
  the 
  following 
  bag, 
  viz. 
  

   Wild 
  Duck, 
  132 
  ; 
  Teal, 
  115 
  ; 
  Wigeon, 
  10 
  ; 
  Shoveler, 
  5 
  ; 
  Tufted 
  Duck, 
  

   2; 
  Pochard, 
  2 
  ; 
  Coot, 
  186 
  ; 
  Moorhen, 
  7 
  ; 
  Snipe, 
  8. 
  Further 
  down 
  the 
  

   river 
  much 
  heavier 
  bags 
  were 
  made, 
  and 
  I 
  believe 
  little 
  or 
  no 
  hand- 
  

   rearing 
  of 
  birds 
  was 
  done 
  last 
  year. 
  I 
  am 
  sorry 
  to 
  say, 
  amongst 
  the 
  

   abundance 
  of 
  birds, 
  no 
  Goosander 
  or 
  Smew 
  seem 
  to 
  have 
  visited 
  their 
  

   old 
  haunts 
  ; 
  I 
  heard 
  of 
  one 
  Mergus, 
  but 
  from 
  description 
  of 
  its 
  size, 
  &c, 
  

   I 
  suspect 
  it 
  was 
  a 
  young 
  female 
  Red-breasted 
  Merganser 
  (Mergus 
  

   serrator). 
  but 
  I 
  did 
  not 
  see 
  it. 
  A 
  few 
  Geese 
  were 
  seen, 
  described 
  as 
  

  

  